4.5 rounded up (It's hard to beat The Silent Patient, which was 5+)

I don't know where to start with The Fury. You know that feeling you get after reading a great book and then think, well crap, now I have to wait LITERAL YEARS before he writes another one. Yeah, that's me with Michaelides. I might be a little obsessed. But surely not as obsessed as Elliot Chase (the MC in The Fury) is with his movie star best friend Lana Farrar, right??? (Debatable...)

Anyway, Elliot is a playwright and the unreliable narrator of this brilliant, twisty tale.
Lana is the beautiful former Hollywood star who invites Elliot, among others, to her private Greek island Aura to escape rainy London. The Fury refers to the harsh winds that batter the small island. Also, Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned... And what follows is a tale of murder, love, resentment, and suspense.

Michaelides' writing is brilliant. Elliot narrates the story to you, the reader, in an intimate, captivating way. However, I found myself getting a little bored in Act III. And, what did Mr. M. do, but cleverly write: "I don't want to bore you, or lose your interest... Don't be boring...Do whatever it takes to keep the thing going." And he does....
Acts IV and V are where it's at!

Not quite as good as The Silent Patient, but better than The Maidens, The Fury is clever and twisty, with short chapters. I thought I knew what was going on, but then my, oh my, how the tables turned.
(Mariana and Theo make subtle appearances, too, which I just love.)

Excellent writing, excellent characters, excellent twists. Well done!

“There were seven of us in all, trapped on the island.
One of us was a murderer.” so begins this tale of friendship and retribution, stardom and fame, and the wounded child that hides in all of us. Playwright Elliot Chase, our unreliable narrator,spins this fantastical tale of seven people trapped on a private Greek island by the Fury , the harsh wind storms that batter the island. But who's dead and why?
Told over five acts, Elliott infuses his POV narrative with a history of the major players, including himself. Former Hollywood movie star Lana Farrar is his main focus, his best friend and the reason they were all invited to her private island. The rest of her group consist of her husband, son, best friend, housekeeper, and the creepy island caretaker.
Michaelides has continued his success with this newest novel. Using Elliott as his dubious storyteller is clever, keeping the reader engrossed in peeling back the layers. Moving from Hollywood, to London, to the Greek island Aura, we get a fairly thorough background leading us to the final moments. The tension, unrequited feelings, lies and resentment, friendship and jealousy that permeates this suspenseful page-turner will keep you guessing until the satisfying ending.